Sustainable Development and Gender Equality: A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of OECD Countries

This study examines the similarity and dissimilarity patterns of gender equality among OECD member countries from a multidimensional perspective. The empirical analysis is based on five Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) indicators reported in the Sustainable Development Report 2024, and multidimensional scaling (MDS) was employed as the analytical method. Countries were compared according to indicators reflecting family planning, educational attainment, labour force participation, political representation, and the gender pay gap. The findings provide a visual representation of the similarity structure among OECD countries, revealing several distinct country groupings based on their gender equality profiles. The Nordic countries exhibit similar multidimensional profiles and are positioned close to one another, whereas Türkiye occupies a relatively distinct position in the two-dimensional configuration. The results indicare that differences in gender equality among OECD countries are associated not only with policy choices but also with broader institutional, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts. Overall, the study demonstrates that multidimensional scaling provides an alternative analytical framework for visualising cross-country similarity patterns and may support comparative policy benchmarking in the field of gender equality.